Not That Kind of Girl by Alliott, Catherine

When Henrietta Tate lost her first love, Rupert, she fell into the comforting arms of her boss, Marcus. Now married to him and with two children, Henny has always believed the family comes first, and is delighted to stay at home and prove it. But all to soon Lily and Angus are away at school and home life becomes a little less than stimulating. Popping to London to act as a PA to a famous TV historian sounds ideal. Until the effects of a slap-up lunch with her disreputably handsome new employer and one to many gin and tonics lead her husband to all the wrong conclusions. He should know she's not that kind of girl. But Marcus's pride and Henny's indignant fury don't make explanations easy. And as if things weren't complicated enough, Rupert reappears . . .

This is the first Catherine Alliott book I read and I liked it enough so that I'm going to read her book The Wedding Day next. A Married Man is about a character that is so human and makes so many mistakes that most women should be able to relate to her. The story wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be and it held my interest until the very last page, with interesting characters and an intriguing storyline. It's not the typical Chick Lit fare that I go for, which means funnier books like those by Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and Laura Wolf, but it was still really good. If I could've rated it 4.5 stars, I would've but it wasn't quite a 5 star book so I had to give it 4.

This book reminds me of a screwball comedy with a woman (Lucy) who is warm and delightful, but always finding herself in compromising positions. Well, almost, because the author takes Lucy up to the brink many times, only to pull her back from the edge before she leaps. The reader is kept guessing and wondering, will she or won't she cross that line with her married man? Her mother-in-law is a character you love to hate, and by the end of the book, you realize all was not as it seemed. The ending will make you cheer.

...It was just the ticket for getting me reading again. Funny, because I can see the flaws (like the problem with the ending -- it's a bit predictable and romance-novelly) but I really liked it anyway. I went to my local library (here in the US) and I'LL BE DARN it's the only book in the library by Catherine Alliott. I say, bring on more books by this author to the good ol' US of A! I love the way this woman writes, and I'm a writer myself. She has such a great way with words and phrasings, a delightful sense of humor, and I don't sense any pretentiousness in her style. Definitely not a Bridget Jones rip-off, like some of the "Brit Chick Lit" books (I just heard they're called that) seem to be. I recommend this book and I gave it a 5 Star because not only is it funny and fun to read, you will sail right through it and feel hungry for more books by the author when you're done. Am I in love? Maybe. Thanks for writing a great book!

I really enjoyed this book and hope that more people do so that Catherine Alliott will have more published in the US! If you like chick lit that's a little bit more that just clothes, dating etc. you will enjoy this book.